Ambassador Kent HÄRSTEDT is a Senior Adviser at CMI–Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation and a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the National University of Singapore.

In 2023, after over 25 years of service, Ambassador HÄRSTEDT retired from the Swedish government. During his career, he held numerous distinguished positions, including Ambassador of Sweden to Singapore, Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Envoy for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and Swedish Government’s Special Envoy for the Korean Peninsula. From 1998 to 2018, he served as a Member of Parliament on the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees. He also gained experience as a political advisor across various parts of the Swedish Government, including the Prime Minister’s Office. Other notable roles include President of Swedish UNICEF, board member of the Swedish National Institute for Public Health, the Swedish Institute and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).